In response to a speed study, Island County commissioners are considering setting a maximum speed limit of 45 miles per hour on all county roads.

County engineers have been working on a large-scale project to reevaluate all speed limits on county-owned roads on Whidbey and Camano islands for the past few years. Using a new analytic tool, the engineers are able to consider a wider variety of factors — such as development density and pedestrian use — to set speed limits than have been historically used.

County commissioners are considering using the ongoing project as an opportunity to set a maximum speed limit of 45 mph to replace the current maximum of 50 mph on some roads. The state highways, however, are under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Transportation and will not be affected by county rules.

The commissioners tentatively set a couple of upcoming public meetings on the proposed speed limit changes. A Jan. 27 meeting is set for Camano Island while a meeting on Feb. 3 will be held at the commissioners’ hearing room in Coupeville. The commissioners may adopt the changes after the public hearing on Feb. 3.

The engineers’ recommendations can be viewed at islandcountywa.gov/878/Speed-Limit-Study, but the information doesn’t include the proposed 45 mph maximum as some roads still show a 50 mph speed limit on the maps.

Engineers looked at 144 road segments as part of the analysis. Under the proposal, 75 segments will be not changed, 47 segments will see the speed limit decreased and 22 will see the speed limit increase.

Under the proposal, for example, the speed on West Beach Road on North Whidbey will be 45 mph instead of the current speed limits, which change from 50 mph to 40 mph. Race Road in Central Whidbey will increase from the current 35 mph limit to 40 mph. On South Whidbey, the speed limit on a section of Saratoga Road will increase from 40 mph to 45 mph, according to the map.